providing insights for today’s hvac system designer
Engineers Newsletter
volume 48–2
Selecting Chilled-Water Coils for
ASHRAE 90.1’s New 15°F Delta T Requirement
The 2016 version of ASHRAE Standard
90.1 requires chilled-water cooling coils
to be selected for at least a 15°F ΔT.
This Engineers Newsletter reviews this
new requirement, demonstrates how it
affects selection of chilled-water coils,
and analyzes the impact of part-load
conditions on coil performance.
Figure 1. Chilled-water cooling coil
©2019 Trane. All rights reserved.
New ASHRAE 90.1
Requirement
Beginning in its 2016 version, ASHRAE
Standard 90.1 now requires chilled-water
cooling coils be designed for at least a
15°F temperature difference (ΔT)
between the leaving and entering water;
and the leaving-water temperature must
be no colder than 57°F, at design
conditions.1
As an example, for the leaving-water
temperature to be 57°F, the coil in Figure
1 is selected with a 42°F entering-water
temperature. This would comply with the
minimum 15°F ΔT requirement.
Committee’s intent. Sometimes it is
helpful to understand the committee’s
intent when a new requirement like this is
added to Standard 90.1. Other than
attending the committee meetings, the
best way to understand intent is to read
the foreword that is included when an
addendum is released for public review.
6.5.4.7 Chilled-Water Coil Selection.
Chilled-water cooling coils shall be selected
to provide a 15°F or higher temperature
difference between leaving and entering
water temperatures and a minimum of
57°F leaving water temperature at design
conditions.
Exceptions to Section 6.5.4.7:
1 Chilled-water cooling coils that have an airside
pressure drop exceeding 0.70 in. H2O when
rated at 500 fpm face velocity and dry
conditions (no condensation)
2 Individual fan-cooling units with a design
supply airflow rate ≤ 5000 cfm
3 Constant-air-volume systems
4 Coils selected at the maximum temperature
difference allowed by the chiller
5 Passive coils (no mechanically supplied
airflow)
6 Coils with design entering chilled-water
temperature ≥ 50°F
7 Coils with design entering air dry-bulb
temperature ≤ 65°F
1
As stated in the foreword that
accompanied this addendum (see
excerpt below), the committee’s intent
was to encourage the use of coils with
more heat transfer surface to achieve
this higher ΔT.2 It cited a life-cycle cost
analysis that was published in the
ASHRAE Journal.3 This analysis showed
that designing a chilled-water system for
a higher ΔT reduced first costs—due to
smaller valves, piping, and pumps—and
also reduced overall system energy cost.
The results showed that the increase in
fan energy due to the added coil surface
was more than offset by the pump
energy savings.
“High ΔT was shown to result in
optimum energy efficiency and life cycle
costs in analysis by Taylor in Optimizing
Design & Control of Chilled Water Plants,
Part 3: Pipe Sizing and Optimizing ΔT
(ASHRAE Journal, December 2011). The
analysis showed that the fan energy
increase due to the larger coil was more
than offset by the pump energy savings,
and net first costs were reduced due to
smaller piping and pumps, offsetting
higher coil costs. So both first costs and
energy costs are reduced by this
requirement...The intent of this
addendum is to encourage the use of
coils with larger heat transfer surface
areas to generate a high ΔT.”
That same article also showed that using
a slightly colder entering-water
temperature would allow for a coil
selection to achieve the desired higher
ΔT with no impact on supply fan energy
use—that is, no change in surface area
or air pressure drop compared to the
10°F ΔT baseline. In that case, the
results showed that while the colder
water does increase chiller energy use,
this was more than offset by the pump
energy savings.
Exceptions. While this is now a
prescriptive requirement, like other
sections of Standard 90.1, there are
several exceptions listed (see excerpt on
page 1).
Per exception 2, individual fan-cooling
units that supply 5000 cfm or less are
exempt. This exempts fan-coils, blower-
coils, classroom unit ventilators, and
small air handlers. According to the
foreword, the committee included this
exception because most small fan-coils
do not have an option for an eight-row
2 Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 48-2
coil. But as demonstrated later in this EN,
eight rows is not necessarily required to
achieve a 15°F ΔT. It is still a good idea to
select smaller units with a higher ΔT.
However, Standard 90.1 does not currently
require it.
Per exception 3, if airflow across a cooling
coil is constant volume, that coil is also
exempt from this requirement. For the first
analysis in the cited article, the author used
a coil selected with more surface area,
resulting in a higher air pressure drop. For
the VAV system analyzed, the resulting
increase in fan energy was more than
offset by the pump energy savings.
However, as mentioned above, the article
also showed that by using a slightly colder
entering-water temperature, there was no
change in air pressure drop (zero impact on
fan energy) compared to the 10°F ΔT
baseline. In that analysis, the higher ΔT still
resulted in lower overall energy use. So
even in a constant-volume system, it is a
good idea to design for a higher ΔT, but
Standard 90.1 currently does not require it.
Per exception 6, coils that are selected with
an entering chilled-water temperature of
50°F or warmer are also exempt. This
exempts sensible-only cooling equipment,
like radiant panels, chilled beams, and
sensible-cooling terminal units, like Trane’s
CoolSense™.
Affected applications. Some examples of
applications where this requirement does
apply include:
• Mixed-air, multiple-zone VAV systems,
since they have variable airflow and are
usually larger than 5000 cfm
• Single-zone VAV air handlers, which
might be used in larger zones like
auditoriums, arenas, gymnasiums, or
manufacturing areas
• Dedicated outdoor-air systems, when
designed for variable airflow—which
would be the case if demand-controlled
ventilation is implemented
Selecting Cooling Coils
for ≥ 15°F ΔT
The example chilled-water coil in Figure 1 is
in a mixed-air VAV air handler that cools
7000 cfm to 53°F leaving the coil. The
entering chilled-water temperature is 42°F,
with a 15°F ΔT at design conditions.
providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer
Table 1 compares four coils that could be
used for this application:
• Coil #1 has six rows of 3/8-inch
diameter tubes and turbulators (devices
mounted inside the tubes that increase
fluid turbulence to improve heat
transfer).
• Coils #2 and #3 have six rows of 1/2-
inch tubes, one with turbulators and the
other without. Notice that turbulators
allow coil #3 to provide the required
capacity with fewer fins than coil #2.
This reduces the air pressure drop, but
increases the water pressure drop.
(Whether or not this additional water
pressure drop impacts the size of
pumps, or pump energy use, depends
on whether or not this coil is located in
the “critical circuit” of the piping
system.)
• Coil #4 has six rows of 5/8-inch tubes
and turbulators.
For this example, coil #1 is the least
expensive option. Coil #4 is the best choice
for minimizing both air and water pressure
drops, but it costs more than the other
options. Coil #2 or #3 might be selected to
better balance cost and pressure drops.4
Effect of part-load operating
conditions. As explained, Standard 90.1
requires a minimum 15°F ΔT at design
conditions. This allows for a lower water
flow rate (gpm) and a reduction in installed
cost due to smaller valves, pipes, and
pumps. But the other motivation is to
reduce pump energy use, for which part-
load operation (off-design conditions) also
matters.
For the mixed-air VAV system in this
example, the entering-air conditions will
change as the outdoor conditions change,
and the airflow across the coil will change
as the zone-level VAV dampers modulate.
Figure 2 shows the resulting water ΔT of
these same four coils—each selected to
achieve a 15°F ΔT at design conditions—at
three different entering-air conditions at
which the cooling coil will still be active,
and at two different airflows.
At part-load conditions, the coils with
turbulators (#1, #3, and #4) are able to
maintain, or even increase, the water ΔT.
However, for the coil without turbulators
(#2), the water ΔT starts to drop at the third
part-load condition. And in all cases, the ΔT
is not as high in coil #2 as it is in the coils
with turbulators.
Table 1. Example chilled-water coil selections for 15°F ΔT
coil #1 coil #2 coil #3 coil #4
entering-water temperature, °F 42 42 42 42
leaving-water temperature, °F 57 57 57 57
water ΔT, °F 15 15 15 15
tube diameter, in. 3/8 1/2 1/2 5/8
coil rows 6 6 6 6
fin density, fins/ft 114 159 124 133
fin design high capacity high capacity high efficiency high efficiency
turbulators yes no yes yes
water flow rate, gpm 40 40 40 40
water velocity, ft/s 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.1
water pressure drop, ft. H2O 11.2 4.7 11.1 5.2
air pressure drop, in. H2O 0.81 0.95 0.71 0.71
cost of coil base - 30% base base + 8% base + 15%

Coil selections from Trane Official Product Selection Software (TOPPS™), based on a size 14 Performance Climate Changer™ air handler with coils constructed of copper tubes
and aluminum fins.

Figure 2. Water ΔT at part-load conditions

Entering-air conditions: MA1 = 80°F dry bulb / 67°F wet bulb, MA2 = 75°F dry bulb / 63°F wet bulb, MA3 = 70°F dry bulb / 64°F wet bulb
Coil airflows: 100% airflow = 7000 cfm, 75% airflow = 5250 cfm

providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 48–2 3
 Turbulators increase fluid turbulence,
which improves heat transfer (Figure 3).
This allows a coil to provide the required
capacity with a lower water flow rate
(higher ΔT), leading to reduced pumping
energy at part-load conditions. After
analyzing many coil configurations, this
is a consistent trend regarding
turbulators and ΔT.
Impact of laminar flow. The ASHRAE
Handbook suggests that chilled-water
coils are best selected with water
velocity between 2 to 4 ft/sec, at design
conditions.5 This recommended range is
intended to provide a good balance
between coil size and minimizing both
air and water pressure drops.
But water velocity is also important
because it is one of the key factors for
determining flow turbulence, depicted
by the Reynolds Number. As the
turbulence of a moving fluid increases,
so does its ability to transfer heat from
the tube wall to the fluid.
Some in the HVAC industry express
concern that coil heat transfer will
deteriorate rapidly if the Reynolds
Number falls into the laminar flow
region. The performance prediction
methodology prescribed by AHRI
Standard 410 was refined in 2001,
allowing coil performance to be
accurately predicted well into the
laminar flow region, without fear of large
discrepancies between predicted and
actual performance.6
Figure 3. Turbulators
Trane has over 50 years of successful field
experience with turbulators, with performance
certified by AHRI.
4 Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 48-2
To demonstrate, Figure 4 plots coil
capacity versus water flow rate and
Reynolds Number, using the current
AHRI 410 performance prediction model.
While this does show a slight dip in
capacity that is less linear than the rest of
operating range, it is certainly not drastic.
In summary, laminar flow does not cause
a severe drop-off in capacity. And the
AHRI prediction methods allow coils to
be rated accurately well into the
transitional and laminar flow regions.
Warmer versus colder water
temperatures. This new requirement in
Standard 90.1 requires the leaving-water
temperature be no colder than 57°F,
allowing it to be warmer.
Table 2 compares coils selected for a
15°F ΔT, but with different entering-water
temperatures. Coils #2 and #3 are from
the previous example, with 42°F entering
water. Coils #5 and #6 are selected with a
45°F entering-water temperature.
The coils selected with warmer water (#5
and #6) require eight rows of tubes to
provide the necessary capacity. This
results in much higher air and water
pressure drops than the six-row coils
selected with colder water (#2 and #3).
And not only will the coil be more
expensive due to these additional rows,
the air-handling unit will likely need to be
longer, which increases the cost of the
casing as well.
Figure 4. Impact of laminar flow on coil performance
providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer
Even though the chiller has to work a little
harder to make the 42°F water versus
45°F in this example, this is typically more
efficient than making the fans and pumps
both work harder to overcome these
higher pressure drops.3,7,8,9
Water ΔT higher than 15°F. Note that
Standard 90.1 requires the water ΔT to be
15°F or higher. There are many in the
industry who recommend ΔTs even
higher than this. 3,7,8,9
In Table 3, the first column is one of the
six-row coils from the previous example
(coil #3), selected with 42°F entering
water and a 15°F ΔT. The coil in the
second column (coil #7) also uses 42°F
entering water, but with a 20°F ΔT. And
the coil in the third column (coil #8) is
selected with 40°F entering water and a
25°F ΔT.
The larger water ΔTs reduce the water
flow rate even further—from 40 gpm
down to 30 gpm or 24 gpm—and also
reduce the water pressure drop. This
significantly lowers pump energy use.
However, in this example, the higher ΔTs
require more coil surface area, so air
pressure drop does increase.
Table 2. Colder versus warmer water temperatures
coil #2 coil #3 coil #5 coil #6
entering-water temperature, °F 42 42 45 45
leaving-water temperature, °F 57 57 60 60
water ΔT, °F 15 15 15 15
tube diameter, in. 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2
coil rows 6 6 8 8
fin density, fins/ft 159 124 153 113
fin design high capacity high efficiency high capacity high capacity
turbulators no yes no yes
water flow rate, gpm 40 40 40 40
water velocity, ft/s 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8
water pressure drop, ft. H2O 4.7 11.1 5.8 15.1
air pressure drop, in. H2O 0.95 0.71 1.2 1.0
cost of coil base base + 8% base + 30% base + 35%

Table 3. 15°F versus 20°F versus 25°F ΔT

coil #3 coil #7 coil #8
entering-water temperature, °F 42 42 40
leaving-water temperature, °F 57 62 65
water ΔT, °F 15 20 25
tube diameter, in. 1/2 1/2 1/2
coil rows 6 8 8
fin density, fins/ft 124 114 135
fin design high efficiency high efficiency high capacity
turbulators yes yes yes
water flow rate, gpm 40 30 24
water velocity, ft/s 2.8 2.1 1.6
water pressure drop, ft. H2O 11.1 8.4 5.8
air pressure drop, in. H2O 0.71 0.88 0.92
cost of coil base base + 30% base + 35%

providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 48–2 5

ASHRAE 62.1 Limit on Air
Pressure Drop
As mentioned, the Standard 90.1
committee stated in the foreword to
this addendum that their intent was to
encourage the use of coils with more
heat transfer surface to achieve this
higher ΔT. In some cases, this might
result in a higher air pressure drop.
ASHRAE Standard 62.1 includes a
requirement intended to ensure that
coils can be properly cleaned.10
Deeper coils with more rows, and coils
with a higher density of fins, can be
more challenging to clean.
The Standard 62.1 committee
addressed this issue by prescribing a
limit on coil air pressure drop, as a
surrogate measure for clean-ability. In
other words, coils with higher air
pressure drops are, in general, more
difficult to clean properly.
5.11.2 Finned-Tube Coil Selection for
Cleaning. Individual finned-tube coils or
multiple finned-tube coils in series
without intervening access spaces of at
least 18 in. shall be selected to result in
no more than 0.75 in. H2O combined
dry-coil pressure drop at 500 fpm face
velocity.
This section of the standard requires
that the air pressure drop of a finned-
tube coil cannot exceed 0.75 in. H2O.
Table 4. Air pressure drop of a wet versus dry coil
coil airflow, cfm
coil face velocity, fpm
entering dry-bulb temperature, °F
entering wet-bulb temperature, °F
entering dew point temperature, °F
leaving dry-bulb temperature, °F
tube diameter, in.
coil rows
fin density, fins/ft
fin design style
turbulators
air pressure drop, in. H2O
6 Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 48-2
But notice that this is at a specific air drop is 0.70 in. H2O, so this coil does
velocity (500 fpm), and this limit is comply with the Standard 62.1 limit on
based on the air pressure drop when air pressure drop.
the coil is dry (not dehumidifying).
For the example in this EN, the
entering-air conditions are 80°F dry
Conclusion
bulb and 67°F wet bulb, which equates
to a 60°F dew point. The air is being ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2016 now
cooled to 53°F, which means that water requires chilled-water coils to be
vapor will be condensing out of the air selected for a minimum 15°F ΔT, but
and onto the coil surface. Therefore, there are exceptions. This higher ΔT
the air pressure drops listed are for a reduces the water flow rate (gpm),
wet coil, not dry. which allows installation of smaller
valves, pipes, and pumps, and also
To ensure that a selected coil complies
reduces pumping energy.
with this requirement, use the
manufacturer’s selection program to To achieve the 15°F minimum ΔT, some
re-run the performance of the coil, but designers may choose to select the
change the entering-air conditions so coil with more fins. This will increase
that the coil will be dry, with no the air pressure drop. Other designers
condensation. In this example, by may choose to select the coil with
lowering the entering wet bulb from turbulators. This will increase the water
67°F to 55°F, the entering dew point pressure drop, but results in higher
drops to 30°F—well below the coil water ΔTs at part-load conditions,
surface temperature, so the coil will which leads to pump energy savings.
operate dry. And designing the system with a
slightly lower entering-water
The first column in Table 4 shows coil
temperature can allow the coils to be
#2 from the previous example. The air
selected with little or no impact on air
pressure drop is 0.95 in. H2O, but this
pressure drop and fan energy use.
is when the coil is wet. The second
column shows the same coil, with the Finally, selecting cooling coils for a
entering wet bulb changed to 55°F, so higher ΔT has an impact on the design
the coil will operate dry. (Note that the and operation of the chiller plant.
airflow was also changed slightly, so These issues are addressed in other
that the air velocity is exactly 500 fpm.) Engineers Newsletters.8,11,12
Under these dry conditions, at the
prescribed air velocity, the air pressure By John Murphy, Trane. To subscribe or view
previous issues of the Engineers Newsletter visit
trane.com/EN. Send comments to
ENL@trane.com.
coil #2 coil #2
(wet) (dry)
7000 6820
513 500
80 80
67 55
60 30
53 53
1/2 1/2
6 6
159 159
high capacity high capacity
no no
0.95 0.70
providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer
References
[1] ANSI/ASHRAE/IES, Standard 90.1-2016,
Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-
Rise Residential Buildings. Atlanta: ASHRAE.

[2] ASHRAE. Addendum BJ to Standard 90.1-

2013, First Public Review Draft. July 2015.

[3] Taylor, S. “Optimizing Design & Control of

Chilled Water Plants, Part 3: Pipe Sizing and
Optimizing ΔT," ASHRAE Journal. December
2011.

[4] Trane. Chilled-Water Coil Selection and

Optimization white paper. CLCH-PRB062A-
EN. 2016.

[5] ASHRAE. ASHRAE Handbook—HVAC

Systems and Equipment, Chapter 23 (Air-
Cooling Coils). 2016.

[6] Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration

Institute (AHRI). AHRI Standard 410-2001:
Standard for Forced-Circulation Air-Cooling and
Air-Heating Coils. 2001.

[7] ASHRAE. ASHRAE GreenGuide: Design,

Construction, and Operation of Sustainable
Buildings. 5th edition. ASHRAE, 2018.

[8] Trane. Chiller System Design and Control

application manual. SYS-APM001-EN. 2011.

[9] Kelly, D.W. and T. Chan. “Optimizing Chilled-

Water Plants,” Heating/Piping/Air Conditioning.
January 1999.

[10]ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2016: Ventilation

for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality. Atlanta:
ASHRAE. 2016.

[11]Schwedler, M. “Chilled-Water Systems Design

Issues—Learning from Past Mistakes”
Engineers Newsletter. ADM-APN051-EN.
Trane. 2014.

[12] Schwedler, M. “Variable-Primary-Flow

Systems Revisited” Engineers Newsletter.
ADM-APN005-EN. Trane. 2002.

providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 48–2 7
Join your local Trane office for the 2019 Engineers Newsletter LIVE!
Mark your calendar!
Air and Waterside Economizing Reviews air- and waterside economizing
advantages, drawbacks and considerations when using one versus the other.
ASHRAE Standard 90.1 requirements and exceptions will also be discussed.

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Chilled-Water System Design Trends reviews recent advancements in
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advantage of the latest technology and when various system strategies should be
used.

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8 Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 48–2 ADM-APN070-EN September 2019 (Supersedes ADM-APN070-EN June 2019)